Herman, A Wilderness Saint: From Sarov, Russia to Kodiak, Alaska

Publication Data: Jordanville, NY: Holy Trinity Publications, 2012
Format: softcover
Number of Pages: xiv + 243
Dimensions (l × w × h): 17.8 cm × 12.7 cm × 1.5 cm
ISBN: 978-0-88465-192-5

   
Sergei Korsun with Lydia Black
Translated by Priest Daniel Marshall

“St Herman of Alaska is one of the most widely venerated of saints by the Orthodox Christian people of North America, with churches and monasteries being dedicated to his memory. During his lifetime, he was known as a defender of the native Alaskan peoples from the rapacious practices of many of his fellow Russians whose interest in Alaska was commercial rather than Christian. This book is not written in a hagiographical style but as history understood within the context of an Orthodox worldview. It contains materials not previously published in English and drawn from sources that were not accessible to scholars during the Communist period of the twentieth century. As such it offers a more comprehensive picture of the saint than has been seen before. Particularly fascinating is his connection to St Seraphim of Sarov, another Russian saint canonized in the twentieth century, and perhaps the best known modern Orthodox saint in the world.”
—“FOREWORD TO THE ENGLISH-LANGUAGE EDITION”

CONTENTS

Foreword to the English-Language Edition
Introduction
1. St Herman’s Call: From Sarov to Valaam Monastery
2. Missionary Service in Alaska
   Organization of the Orthodox Mission in America
   First Year on Kodiak Island
   Life and Ascetic Labors of the Missionaries
   Father Herman Takes Charge of the Kodiak Mission
3. On Spruce Island: A Saint in the Wilderness
4. Father Herman’s Repose and His Legacy
Appendix 1: The Fate of New Valaam
Appendix 2; The Glorification of the Venerable Herman of Alaska, the Wonder-Worker
Appendix 3: Eyewitnesses
Notes
Index